Thank you to all who were able to attend the Purple Line NOW project update forum on January 18 atMontgomery Collegewith Maryland Secretary of Transportation, Pete Rahn. We hope you enjoyed the evening - we look forward to bringing more events like this to the community through ourEnvisioning the Purple Lineseries!

A big thank you to all of our guest speakers - they did an amazing job answering every last question from our audience members and the media. We are grateful for their time and their work to make this project a reality. First and foremost,Pete Rahn,Maryland Secretary of Transportation,Susan Madden,Chief Government Relations Director, Montgomery College, our ownRalph Bennett, President, Purple Line NOW and our amazing panel:Charles Lattuca, Maryland Transit Administration, Executive Director for Transit Development and Delivery,Tim Cupples, Purple Line Implementation Manager, Montgomery County,Vic Weissberg, Senior Projects Coordinator/ Purple Line Project Manager, Prince George’s County (and Purple Line NOW Board Member), andAshlie T. Bagwell, representing thePurple Line Transit Partners(Concessionaire), Senior Government Relations Associate, Harris Jones & Malone, LLC. A very special thank you to our terrific moderator,Andrew Metcalf,Bethesda BeatTransportation and Government Reporter. You can catch Andrew's insightful reporting on Twitter at @ajwatchmd.

We are thrilled that you can watch the whole event right here:Purple Line NOW January 18 FORUM. We appreciate our volunteerJohn Wetmorefor taping and uploading the forum for us!

The evening was possible because of oursponsors- and we encourage you to thank them for their stewardship and support of Purple Line NOW. It is never too late to become asponsorof ourEnvisioning the Purple Lineseries, so take a moment if you are able, to join these terrific folks bysupporting Purple Line NOW. Thank you toMontgomery Collegefor hosting the forum for us and to their wonderful staff to making it such a success.

Secretary Rahn provided a detailed update on where the project stands right now. He expects close to 60K riders a day from the get-go and nearly 75K riders by 2040! The Secretary did address the one-year delay caused by the lawsuit brought byFriends of the Capital Crescent Trail and the two Town of Chevy Chase residents, although he believes the opening will still occur in 2022, which is very good news, indeed. He also noted that there is a second lawsuit looming, with a hearing to be scheduled in the next few months. He does not expect the outcome of that lawsuit to delay construction, however.

The Secretary also highlighted theCommunity Advisory Teams(CATs). The CAT groups represent eight communities along the Purple Line corridor and comprised of residents, civic associations, and business owners committed to regularly meeting with MTA to discuss issues revolving around construction and other issues in their respective communities while the line is being built. He is especially proud of these teams because, as he said, "it's where we get our feedback and our grade."

Mr. Rahn was asked about the impact of construction on surrounding businesses. He said that MTA is working to minimize the amount of time each respective area is under construction. For our part, Purple Line NOW will be creating a page on our website listing business along the corridor most affected by the construction so that you can make a point to patronize them during this time. That page will be up soon - send along any businesses you think could use a boost from us!

Our moderator Andrew Metcalf opened the panel discussion by asking Chuck Lattuca, Executive Director for Transit Development and Delivery for MTA to give an overview of the first year of construction. He mentioned that any tree cutting should be done by April 1 to accommodate any migratory bird issues. They are putting in 10 miles of new sewer and water, electrical, and internet (some of the current overhead wires will be undergrounded). They are also completing site work grading.

Tim Cupples and Vic Weissberg spoke about their respective communities. Mr. Cupples highlighted that Montgomery County is working on Purple Line related projects, as well including the CCT Green Trail and the new south entrance at the Bethesda Metro. Mr. Weissberg said that the Prince George's County Government is following all of the moving pieces of construction and will be looking for ways to facilitate and interface whenever they can help to help their residents and move the project forward

Ashlie Bagwell, speaking on behalf of the concessionaire (Purple Line Transit Partners) mentioned that the project is at 75% design, meaning that there is not much more room or time for changes as the construction is moving along quickly now to make up for lost time. She encouraged everyone to sign up for construction alerts and notifications atwww.purplelinemd.com. There, you will find information on utilities and road closures as well as any important information related to construction. The concessionaire is attending community events and committed to being an active participant with Purple Line related organizations such as Purple Line NOW.

We hope you enjoyed the evening and all the good information that was provided - we look forward to seeing you at future events!

As we close the book on 2017, it’s time once again for our annual look back on the Purple Line stories that made headlines over the last 12 months.

When the ball dropped on 2016, the Purple Line was stuck at the metaphorical station. The federal lawsuit brought by opponents of the Purple Line was languishing in Judge Richard Leon’s court with no end in sight. However, by the end of the year, we would find ourselves celebrating the long-awaited groundbreaking and the first signs of construction would be visible throughout the corridor.

2017 will mostly be remembered as the year the Purple Line finally broke ground, but there was so much more that happened this year. Here’s a look back on the stories that made news in 2017:

2017 ended on a high note for the Purple Line with the U.S. Court of Appeals hearing arguments in the lawsuit which had prevented the project from moving forward for more than a full year. And last week, the court reversed District Court Judge Richard Leon's order requiring more environmental review of the Purple Line. Opponents of the Purple Line could always appeal to the Supreme Court, but it appears unlikely that the court would agree to take up this matter. We at PLN are relieved to put this lawsuit behind us, but we must remain vigilant because this may not be the last effort to derail the project before it opens for service in 2022.

It goes without saying that the Purple Line holds enormous potential to bring about economic, social, and environmental benefits across our region, but as with any large infrastructure project, it also has the potential to cause unwanted change, such as gentrification or displacement of residents and businesses. For that reason, in late November, leaders from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, as well as other stakeholders in the Purple Line corridor, gathered together in College Park to formally sign the Purple Line Community Development Agreement. The agreement seeks to mitigate any negative impacts of the Purple Line and to leverage the once in a generation investment to provide economic opportunities for all, preserve and increase affordable housing, and sustain small business growth. While non-binding, the agreement represents a voluntary commitment by the various parties to achieve the maximum possible benefits for the people who live and work throughout the bi-county corridor.

The Purple Line will require the construction or reconstruction of several bridges, but there was one bridge in particular that made headlines in 2017. A nearly 100-year old wood and steel bridge in the Lyttonsville area of Silver Spring was slated to be demolished and replaced with a new bridge as part of the Purple Line project, but this past spring, the bridge gained new attention as residents urged officials to preserve the bridge in some form because of the history behind it.

During the segregation era, Lyttonsville was mostly disconnected from the surrounding community until the Talbot Avenue bridge was put into place in 1918. The bridge holds meaning to many residents because it represented the first link between their historically black community and white neighborhoods where they were allowed to work but not live. It remains to be seen where and how the bridge will be displayed once it is removed, but the good news is that the state has pledged to relocate it to another site nearby.

The absolute low point in 2017 was when Maryland Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn was forced to suspend key design and pre-construction work on the Purple Line due to the uncertainty created by the continued litigation. The delays caused by the lawsuit were costing the state more than $13 million a month, and the state could no longer afford to pay Purple Line Transit Partners to work on the project without a clear sense of when construction could begin. Secretary Rahn warned the public that the state would have no choice but to suspend the project if the lawsuit wasn’t resolved by June 1. To make matters worse, if the lawsuit wasn’t resolved by August 1, the state would have to consider canceling the project altogether. Thankfully, that never came to pass as the suspension of work was lifted one week before August 1 deadline, as you’ll read more about further down the list.

6. Apex Building Torn Down

If there was any silver lining to the year-long delay that plagued the Purple Line, it was that it enabled a building on a key site in Bethesda to be razed, clearing the way for an improved station stop. As you may recall from previous top ten lists, in order to keep the popular Capital Crescent Trail underground in Bethesda and realize the original vision for the Bethesda station, the office building at the corner of Wisconsin Ave and Elm St, aka the Apex Building, would need to be torn down before construction on the Purple Line commenced. The final pieces of the puzzle fell into place during 2017. In August, a historic structure that was also on the property was moved just down the road, and in November, the Apex building began to come down, bit by bit. As a result of the building’s demolition, the Purple Line will feature an enhanced entrance on Wisconsin Avenue, wider station platforms, as well as an underground link to the Capital Crescent Trail.

Shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony in late August, the state announced that the popular Georgetown Branch Trail would be closed to the public for four to five years beginning on September 5 in order to facilitate construction of the Purple Line. The news caught some users of the trail by surprise; however, the state maintained that the immediate closure of the trail was needed because the right-of-way had to be cleared of obstructions before any other work could proceed. Opponents of the Purple Line filed suit to block the tree-cutting, but Judge Leon rejected their request and clearing of the Georgetown Branch right-of-way began in earnest on September 25.

The first half of 2017 was defined by the interminable legal proceedings in Judge Leon’s courtroom. As you may remember, in late 2016, Judge Leon called into question the accuracy of the state’s ridership projections for the Purple Line, citing Metro’s declining ridership and its much-publicized maintenance issues as reasons to doubt the forecasts. Subsequently, the state and the Federal Transit Administration provided analysis to Judge Leon which showed that even if the Purple Line received zero transfers for Metro, it was still worthy of constructing and of receiving federal aid. However, Judge Leon was not persuaded by the new data and the lawsuit continued to languish in his court until the U.S. Court of Appeals stepped in.

August is usually a slow month in the Washington region, but it was anything but for the Purple Line. Four weeks after the appeals court issued a stay on Judge Leon’s ruling, the Department of Transportation announced its intention to provide federal funds for the Purple Line, $900 million to be exact, which was the last piece of the funding package. Several days later, the full funding grant agreement was formally inked by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Governor Hogan at the groundbreaking ceremony in Prince George’s County.

In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals issued a stay on the lower court’s ruling, thereby restoring the project’s record of decision (i.e. federal approval) and making the project eligible for federal funding once again. Following on the heels of the stay, the state worked quickly to secure a full funding grant agreement with the federal government, so construction could finally begin. Which brings us to our number one story of 2017…

As you probably could have already guessed, the number one Purple Line story in 2017 was the long-awaited groundbreaking for the project. Nearly 31 years after the Purple Line was first conceived of, ground was finally broken on the project in late August at the site of the future Purple Line maintenance facility in the Glenridge neighborhood in Prince George’s County. Governor Hogan even got into the action by hopping into an excavator to knock down an old industrial storage shed to make way for the Purple Line.

Photo Credit: Dan Reed

Once all the pomp and circumstance had subsided, we took a moment to remember those who laid the groundwork for this day, but who are no longer with us, including our late co-founder, Harry Sanders. Harry and many others were with us in spirit as we celebrated this historic milestone.

Purple Line NOW celebrates the vindication of the Purple Line’s purpose and its process by a unanimous opinion from the D.C. Federal Circuit Court. Thedecision by Judge Judith Rogersis a complete win for the Purple Line. The panel rejected the requirement for another related study to analyze the effects of Metro’s troubles and upheld Judge Leon’s rejection of a range of insubstantial environmental claims.

PLN President Ralph Bennett is ready to move forward, “The question of whether the Purple Line will be built has been answered. We are now focused on successful implementation and ensuring that the benefits are widespread. Towards that end, we are hosting a forum at Montgomery College on January 18th with Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn and an expert panel to update the public on the project's status.” The day is somewhat bittersweet, however, because it was so long in coming, “The project was operating under constrained conditions for a year, delaying the start, forcing costly inefficiencies, and delaying the launch of important tools such as the Community Advisory Teams. We all have paid too high a price for this frivolous lawsuit."

Vice President Greg Sanders describes the decision as good news, not just for the Purple Line, but for mass transit nationwide. "As the plaintiffs have shown with their second lawsuit, well-resourced opponents can try to keep broadly beneficial projects they object to tied up in court, but this ruling repeatedly upheld the standard that the courts owe deference to the federal and state experts." Specifically, on the issue of Metro ridership, the court was clear that these experts did their homework: "FTA and Maryland sufficiently examined the impact of Metrorail issues on the Purple Line’s three purposes, and reasonably concluded that Metrorail problems would not change the project’s preferred alternative, grounding that conclusion on an assessment of five ridership scenarios. These circumstances warrant deference by the court to FTA’s (and Maryland’s) reasonable, fact-intensive, technical determination that preparation of a [Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement] was not required."

PLN Treasurer Tina Slater concluded by expressing her gratitude for the elected officials who stood by the project and the lawyers and other experts who worked so hard to see it through this challenging period. "The Purple Line is a bipartisan success story in our polarized times. Governor Hogan kept his commitments and Attorney General Frosh played a pivotal role in this victory. County Executives Leggett and Baker, as well as both Counties' Councils and public servants were steadfast and testified to the project's benefits. Other allies, from business and labor, environmentalists and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, as well as members of the public from all walks of life wrote letters, went to rallies, and did their part." Slater concluded, "This success was only possible thanks to a grand coalition of supporters. We intend to do our part and see the project through to completion."

Information about the organization's January 18 forum with Secretary Rahn can be found on thePurple Line NOWwebsite. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and seats must be reserved in advance.